Download
Share
Print this page
Power4Patriots Copper Instruction Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Power4Patriots Manuals
  4. Water Heater
  5. Copper
  6. Instruction manual

Power4Patriots Copper Instruction Manual

Hide thumbs

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
COPPER

Advertisement

loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Copper and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for Power4Patriots Copper

  • Page 1 COPPER...
  • Page 2 Solar Water Heater–Copper Version Instruction Manual NOTICE This is NOT a free book. You may NOT forward this book to anyone else. You do NOT have resale rights for this book. We will take aggressive legal action against anyone violating these terms. If you have purchased this book from anywhere other than the main product website, including eBay, please inform us right away.
  • Page 3 Power4Patriots.com Terms & Disclaimer By using, viewing, and interacting with the DIY guide or the Power4Patriots.com website, you agree to all terms of engagement, thus assuming complete responsibility for your own actions. The authors and publishers will not be held liable or claim accountability for any loss or injuries.
  • Page 4 24 pieces 1.25 inch diameter copper pipes cut 2.2 inches 2 copper endcaps, 1.25 inch 12 copper pipes 6 feet 4 6 inch copper pipes (1 inch or 3/4 inch, depending on Ts) 2 short hoses 1 sheet copper (a bit larger than long x short frame)
  • Page 5 Solar Water Heater – Copper Introduction This manual is a walk-through construction of a Solar Water Heater that uses a copper collector. The solar hot water system we will build includes a tank to store heated water for distribution throughout our house.
  • Page 6 When you open a hot water faucet, hot water is drawn out of the tank and is replaced by cold water from your water source. Our tank has a copper heat exchanger inside (think 100 feet of copper tubing loosely coiled inside the tank).
  • Page 7 Our solar collector consists of an insulated aluminum frame – which we’re going to build – to hold a system of copper tubing, which is the guts of our collector and which we are also going to build. The copper tubing and everything else inside the frame is painted with a heat resistant flat black paint to maximize heat absorption.
  • Page 8 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Your components do not have to be this close together – we’re showing them this way simply by way of illustration – but the greater the distance between your tank and your collector, the more you will have to contend with potential heat loss.

  • Page 9: Tools Needed

    Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Tools Needed Before we get started, let’s take a look at the tools we’ll need to complete the project. The first tool is the PVC tube cutter. You will also need a tape measure,...
  • Page 10 And a utility knife or office knife. The pipe-cutter will be used to make a clean cut on the copper tubing. You will also need a marker. The blowtorch will be used to solder the joints in our copper piping. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com...
  • Page 11 We’ll need an electric hand drill to drill holes in our aluminum frame to put the pieces together. We’ll use the air pump to pressure test our copper tubing system for leaks, or you can use an electric air compressor, but it’s not really necessary.

  • Page 12: Let's Get Started

    Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Let’s Get Started Let’s get started building our frame. We are using some prefabricated Z-shaped aluminum stock 4 1/2 inches wide, and after we have cut it to length, we are going to need to do some cutting on the ends to fabricate our frame.
  • Page 13 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper 1 1/16 inches is the width of the short sides of the z-shaped stock. We started by measuring off 1 1/16 inches and now we are making the cuts to create our flap. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com...
  • Page 14 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Using the file, we smooth the edges of the cuts. Now we’re bending the flap we have created to a 90-degree angle, using the hammer and a wood block – an 18-inch section of 6x6 hardwood fencepost ought to get it.
  • Page 15 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We use popping rivets to fasten an end and side together. Using the drill and a 1/4-inch bit, we make 1/4-inch holes in the first piece. We’re using a punch to mark where we want to drill. This keeps the bit from skating around and scratching up the work piece.
  • Page 16 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We’re using clamps to fix both pieces together at the desired angle, then we drill through the holes in the first piece into and through the second piece. We’re using the riveting tool to fasten the two pieces together with 3/16” popping rivets.
  • Page 17 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now we are going to install corrugated steel sheets for the bottom of the frame. Make sure you lay them down with the ridges parallel to the ends of the panel. This will help stabilize our frame.
  • Page 18 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We use the punch to mark where to drill the holes and drill all the way through the sheet and the frame. After we make the holes, using the same heavy-duty riveting tool, we fix the sheet to the frame.
  • Page 19 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We want this frame to be as rigid as possible – to avoid damage to the glass sheet later on – so we are going to add a pre-drilled slotted metal bracket or brace on the inside of each corner using the 3/16-inch rivets and 1/4-inch bolts, washers and nuts.
  • Page 20 To insulate the panel, so that the sun’s heat will stay in the water in the copper tubing of your collector and not radiate into your roof, we use mineral wool, sometimes called “rock wool.” We were able to find it in 2-inch slabs the exact width of our frame.
  • Page 21 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Lay the slabs in the frame, foil side up. Fill in any gaps by measuring and cutting pieces to fit using the utility knife. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com www.Power4Patriots.com/shop...
  • Page 22 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, we are going to build the copper tubing system that will be the guts of our collector. This is what the finished tubing assembly will look like. We start by making the ends of the collector. An end is just a series of T-joints connected by short pieces of 1-inch copper pipe all welded together.
  • Page 23 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Begin by cutting all the 2 3/16-inch pieces we will need from the 1-inch copper tubing using the tube-cutting tool. It’s just easier to do them all at once. Now, we are going to start connecting the T-joints with the short pieces of 1-inch tubing, which fit inside the big ends of the T-joints.
  • Page 24 T-joint and the outside of the 1- inch pipe, with flux, which is an acidic paste that chemically etches the copper so that the solder will bond to it. We then put the two pieces together, after heating the flux on the T-joint just a little bit.
  • Page 25 We put the joint in a vice – so you don’t get burned – and start heating the joint with the torch. Do this until the copper starts to change color. You have to get the entire joint hot enough to melt the solder.
  • Page 26 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Your first welds won’t look that great, but as long as they keep the water in, that’s all you need. At the end, we will paint the collector black, so you won’t see any flaws in the finished product.
  • Page 27 An end consists of 12 T-joints in a row connected by 1-inch pipe, with a T-joint on each end of the row. Now, we are going to start cutting the longer 3/4-inch copper tubes that fit into the small ends of the T-joints and connect the two ends to form the main part of the collector.
  • Page 28 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Next, we clean the inside edges of the T-joints with a Dremel. You can also use a screwdriver handle wrapped in sandpaper. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com www.Power4Patriots.com/shop...
  • Page 29 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Then we connect the 6 1/2-foot tubes to the end and finish the joints just like we did all the others – sandpaper, flux, heat and solder. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com www.Power4Patriots.com/shop...
  • Page 30 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper This is where you find out if you have all of your T-joints lined up straight. The whole assembly should lay flat on your work table. When the joints have cooled, we stand the assembly on the finished end and fit the other end over the 6 1/2-foot tubes.
  • Page 31 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We should have four of the short pieces of 1-inch tubing left, and we are now going to prepare and insert one into the T-joint at each corner of the collector. We are going to cap two of these and leave one at each end open on the same side of the collector.
  • Page 32 Solar Water Heater – Copper Next, we are going to test our copper tube assembly for leaks by filling it with water under pressure. First, we need an air manifold, and we are making one out of some PVC parts we had lying around the shop.
  • Page 33 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, we fasten a length of hose to the other open end. Notice that we have notched the end of the hose so that it fits well down on the pipe. We use this hose to fill the whole assembly with water. Remember, we not only have to fill the ends, but all the pipes in between.
  • Page 34 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper When all the pipes are full of water, we insert a plug in the filler hose and fasten it with a hose clamp. Then, using a piece of rubber tubing, we attach our bicycle pump to the nipple on the manifold and start pumping.
  • Page 35 If there are any leaks in the copper tubing assembly, you are not going to get any hot water. Next, we are going to make a tray out of copper sheeting to fit inside our frame on top of the mineral wool insulation.
  • Page 36 Solar Water Heater – Copper Once our copper tray is snuggly fitted inside the frame, we lay in the copper tubing assembly to measure and mark for the openings required to allow the input and output tubes to pass through the frame.
  • Page 37 We’re using an electric drill and a hole cutter bit to make the openings. Now, we put the input and output pipes through the holes and lay the copper tube assembly inside the frame on top of the copper tray and mineral wool insulation to make sure everything fits nicely and lays flat.
  • Page 38 First, we lay the copper tray down on our work table and lay the copper tube assembly on top in the exact positions they were in inside the frame, or as close as possible to them.
  • Page 39 Solar Water Heater – Copper When we’ve finished polishing the copper sheet, we turn the copper tube assembly over and use the same wire brush wheel to polish the back sides of the tubes, where they are going to contact the copper sheet.
  • Page 40 After applying flux to the pipes, we lay the copper tube assembly back on top of the copper sheet in their original positions and use the pipes to guide our brush in applying flux to the copper sheet.
  • Page 41 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, go to the other end and go through the same process. Once the ends are done, you can work in between. You don’t have to have a continuous joint from end to end. Three or four spots in between will get the job done.
  • Page 42 Fahrenheit. Try to get everything and get everything evenly. We are using copper because it is a great conductor of heat, and we are painting it black so all the sun’s heat is absorbed by the copper and transferred to the water inside the tubes rather than being reflected back in the direction it came from.
  • Page 43 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper We also need to fasten a number of aluminum clips to the top edges of the frame, which we will later bend over to hold our glass cover in place. Once we have the collector mounted in place, we prepare it to receive the glass cover by applying a liberal bead of silicone around all the edges where the glass cover will rest.
  • Page 44 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper After the glass has been laid in place, we press the glass carefully against the frame to ensure we have a total seal. Now, we bend all the aluminum clips over the edges of the glass to hold it firmly in place.
  • Page 45 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper This is our water tank. You can buy a new one with a heat exchanger inside for about $150, or you can get a used one for $20. We’re mounting our tank on a wall a few feet off the ground using concrete anchors.
  • Page 46 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper maintain a desired water temperature in your tank, but the highest water temperature you can achieve depends on how much sun you get and other variables, such as air temperature and unavoidable heat loss in your system. The controller operates on temperature differentials, which you can adjust, and when a certain differential is reached, the controller turns on the circulating pump and shuts it off when the differential is eliminated.
  • Page 47 Solar Water Heater – Copper Here, we have started the “cold water” side of our system by constructing a short piece of copper tubing with nut and rubber washer fittings at each end, and connecting it to the Return Outlet Connection at the bottom of the controller.
  • Page 48 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Next, we are going to start on the collector cold-water return valve assembly and piping. We begin by screwing a 3/4-inch T-joint onto the fitting we welded earlier, wrapping the threads with pipe tape to ensure we have an airtight seal. Get this T-joint on as tight as possible, so that the base of the T is pointing toward the back of our collector panel.
  • Page 49 Now, we attach the valve to the end of the T-joint in the same way. This valve allows us to fill the system with water and close it when it is full. Next, we are going to run copper tubing from this T-joint to the water controller.
  • Page 50 Now, we’re working on the end that connects to the bottom of the water controller. While we’re at it, we make a copper to PVC fitting for the top of the controller, since we are going to be using PVC to pipe the hot water side of our system.
  • Page 51 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Next, we are going to construct the fittings for the hot water side of our collector. These will accommodate the temperature sensor from our controller, the air vent that will bleed off any air accumulating in our system and the connection for the piping.
  • Page 52 Now, we are going to complete the hot water side of the circuit using PVC pipe. You can use copper for this, too, but your hot water is likely to lose a lot of heat to the air over the pipe run because copper is such a good heat conductor.
  • Page 53 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, we fabricate the PVC piping and connect the cold water connection on our tank to the top of the controller. Once our piping connections to the controller are complete, we connect the wiring for the controls to the controller cover and button it up.
  • Page 54 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Here, we are using a metal clad hose and PVC pipe assembly to connect our pressure relief reservoir tank to the pressure relief valve on our controller. 2014© Copyright Power4Patriots.com www.Power4Patriots.com/shop...
  • Page 55 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, we are going to install the connections for hot and cold water at the bottom of our tank. The blue connection is for the cold water line from your household water supply, and the red connection is for your hot water line to the hot water faucets in your house.
  • Page 56 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now that we have our initial fittings in place, we are going to build the By-Pass System from PVC pipe and common valves. We’ve added a hose bib on the cold-water side of our By-Pass, so we can keep our tank filled with...
  • Page 57 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper Now, let’s get ready to fire this sucker up. First, we are going to attach a hose bib to the valve we installed at the bottom of our collector, so we can fill the closed system with water.
  • Page 58 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper As the closed system fills with water, the air is driven out through the vent at the top of the collector, and you can hear it. As soon as all the air has been driven from the system, the vent will close.
  • Page 59 Power4Patriots Solar Water Heater – Copper The temperature gauge on our tank registers a rising temperature, and when it is hot enough for you, it can be drawn off at your faucets. We’re using the same metal clad hose to...